Menu

blasphemy

On Freethought Radio, Gov. Huckabee says Kentucky clerk Kim Davis (who defied gay-marriage orders) is “God.” We’ll hear about what’s making the news this week in the battle to keep state and church separate and about a victory in which the FFRF gets a Georgia city to pull out of “Gospel Fest.” Then Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Baker talk with screenwriter Chris Matheson (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Teds’ Bogus Journey) about his new humorous book, The Story of God: A Biblical Comedy about Love (and Hate). We have not one, but two contributions from Gordon Bonnet and the Skeptophilia blog on today’s show. First he weighs in on the Kim Davis Affair in Kentucky, in number two, Gordon ponders why so many folks who say the God they worship is omnipotent, feel it necessary to police speech about him. You’d think such a being would be able to take care of himself. Then back to the subject of animal rights that we got started two weeks ago. We’ll hear from the philosopher who gets credited with igniting the modern animal rights movement 40 years ago with this book Animal Liberation. Peter Singer is interviewed by Nigel Warburton on the Ethical Bites podcast. Then we return to Dan Kaufman’s Myoclonic Jerk podcast, episode 8, ‘Eating Animals.’

We’re celebrating free speech and the protection of the right to criticize religion this week on Skeptical Sunday. International Blasphemy Rights Day is tomorrow, September 30, commemorating the day in 2005 when cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed sparked violence and mayhem across the Muslim world. We’ll hear a talk given by Jeremy Beahan of Grand Valley State University on why we should celebrate Blasphemy Rights Day, then a powerful speech by British journalist Johann Hari about what happened when he was accused of blasphemy for what he published in an Indian newspaper, and finally a defense of the right to criticize religion from the late, great Christopher Hitchens. But first we get underway as we do each week with Freethought Radio. Dan and Annie Laurie tell us how the FFRF is challenging the motto “in God we trust” on U.S. currency as well as on license plates and they talk with Guy P. Harrison, author of the book, 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian.

Syndication

The Radio Show

Sunday mornings 8-10 AM on WRFI FM 88.1 in Ithaca, 91.9 in Watkins Glen and streaming from WRFI.ORG. Also 10PM-midnight on Geneva Community Radio online.

The Podcast

Sleep in on Sunday? We approve! Subscribe to Skeptical Sunday as a podcast. In iTunes, choose "Subscribe to podcast" and paste in "https://skepticalsunday.wordpress.com/feed/". You can also listen to the past several shows in your browser by clicking on the link at the bottom of each show description.

Upcoming Local Events

Worthy Quote

Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cosy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigour, and the great spaces have a splendour of their own." - Bertrand Russell, "What I Believe", 1925